ABFFE President Chris Finan said that the foundation had fallen short of the number of pieces of artwork that it had hoped to offer. ABFFE will continue to solicit donations and will hold the auction later in the fall. “We have received many lovely pieces, but we need a little more time,” Finan said. “We’re also hoping that holding the auction during gift-buying season will give us a boost.”

The online auction is an extension of the children’s art auction that is held during BookExpo America. Both auctions help support ABFFE’s defense of the free speech rights of kids. In addition to sponsoring Banned Books Week, ABFFE co-sponsors the Kids’ Right to Read Project with the National Coalition Against Censorship.